


David's Kiss

by fadewrit



Series: Maxvid: Origins [2]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:13:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29427936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fadewrit/pseuds/fadewrit
Summary: The aftermath from part 1: First Kiss. Recommend reading that first for context.
Relationships: David & Max (Camp Camp), David/Max (Camp Camp), Maxvid
Series: Maxvid: Origins [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1109496
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	David's Kiss

"And then he..." A look of shame crossed over David's face as his eyes fell to the floor. He rubbed the back of his arm, hesitant to keep going, but he persisted with his confession nonetheless. " _kissed_ me." He wasn't sure how to follow that up, but thankfully he didn't need to. 

"He _what?_ " Gwen asked quickly, completely taken aback. "Are you sure he wasn't just trying to.. I don't know... _bite_ you?" That was a stupid suggestion, and she knew it. David shot her a hard look, and she bit her lip in apology. She didn't mean to imply that he couldn't tell the difference of what happened to him. She just wanted to find an alternative.  
"Well I don't know, okay? I just can't believe he would do something like that." 

"I know." David said uneasily. "Me neither."

"So, what did you do?"

"Do? I.. well, nothing." 

  
" _Nothing_?" What did he mean nothing? How could he have just.. not done anything in that situation? "Jesus fuck, David. You just let him kiss you?"

"Wh- No! I mean, it was.. It all happened really fast. It was over before I even realized it started." There was that shame again, and it burned a deep red across his face. "It's not even really... a big deal.. Is it?" He asked weakly, knowing the answer. He didn't leave time for her to respond before he continued. "I mean, it's not like he used-" _tongue_. The word repulsed him even as a thought, and he hesitated as he tried to think of another. " _Enthusiasm_..." He settled; his voice depleted of its usual spirit. 

"Okay David..." Her voice was sympathetic, but unsettled. "You need to fix this." 

"But how?" He asked desperately, frowning at her. 

"You need to go to him and set the record straight!" She pounded a fist against her open palm for emphasis.

"What do you mean?" He asked, a little bit frightened of her sudden conviction.

"I mean you need to tell him that what he did was inappropriate, and make it clear that it isn't going to happen again." Children needed to be taught boundaries, after all. And it was always better make those boundaries abundantly clear and strong. 

"Well... I _guess_ that makes sense, but..." David looked down at his hands timidly.

"But? But what, David? You're not actually going to encourage this, are you?" She sounded angry now. Not that it was uncommon to hear anger in her voice, but he always hated when it was directed at him.

"No! Of course not! It's not that, it's just.. I don't know if a hard approach like that is a good idea here." 

" _David_." She said sternly, "You told me this because you needed help, right?" Of course she was right! If there was one thing she appreciated about David, it was his _almost_ unwavering compassion. But what he had in empathy, he lacked in severity. It was her _duty_ as his friend to help him where she could.

"Well, yes, but-"

"No more buts!" She interjected confidently. "You got yourself into this and now you're gonna get yourself out, by listening to _me!_ " 

"I guess... you're right. You're right." He relented, and repeated the words to assure himself. "I just need to.. set things straight." 

"Good on you!" She slapped a hand a bit too hard against his back as she smiled widely. "And please- Let's not ever talk about this again." 

It was still early morning, and David wasn't really sure if _now_ was the best time for all of this, but then again, there'd never really be a perfect time. And at least on a Saturday, neither of them would be forced into struggling through any structured camp activity if things ended up going poorly. It was best for everyone to just rip off the band-aid. 

He made his way to Max's tent and eased the flap open. He bit his lip hesitantly, feeling his stomach swirl in anxiety. As he peeked in the tent, he found that Max... _wasn't_ _there_. Neil was, and still sound asleep, snoring loudly in his bedroll. David closed the tent, confused and looked around for some clue of where Max could have gone. Glancing down to the mud, he noticed prints of small shoes that led out to the trail to the lake. _Of course the lake._ The lake where ... _it_ happened. He sighed, feeling decidedly weird. But Gwen's words rung in his ears, and he knew she was right. This had to be dealt with, and no one would gain anything by avoiding it. 

Steeling himself with a deep breath, he headed on down in the direction of the muddy tracks. He spotted him easily with that blue hoodie he always wore. Some things never changed. David was grateful for that. 

He walked up quietly to stand beside Max, who was sitting very still on a log bench, with hands planted firmly against his face, covering his eyes. 

"...Max." He spoke softly. He didn't want to interrupt him like this but... he'd come this far. Max shook, startled, but only barely lifted his head from his hands. "What the fuck do you want, David?" He answered back just as softly. There was an exhaustion in his voice that told plainly of lacking sleep. They had that in common. 

David moved to sit beside him, and felt strange being so close to him again after last night. But it was.. _different_ this time; heavier. "I want to talk." He answered honestly. 

"Well I _don't_. Definitely not to _you_." He curled in on himself some, like a pill bug rolling itself up when threatened.

"Well, then just listen. Max, I..." All the resolve he tried so hard to convince himself of after his conversation with Gwen melted away from him in the mood of the moment. She was wrong. A tough slant wasn't going to work, not with this. He needed to just be... a friend. "About the _kiss_..."

Max recoiled at the word as if it hurt to hear. His hands turned to fists, but he still hid his face in them. "I don't know what you're talking about." He insisted.

"We need to talk about it.." David protested. 

"No. David. We don't. We don't ever need to talk about it, or _anything_ , because _NOTHING_ _HAPPENED_." He slammed his fists against his legs, looking at David with a hard stare. "Why would I kiss YOU anyway? I HATE you!"

"Max-"

"NO. SHUT UP. IT'S TRUE. I HATE YOU, DAVID. OR HAVEN'T I MADE THAT CLEAR ENOUGH SINCE DAY ONE? WELL I DO. I HATE YOUR STUPID FACE, AND YOUR STUPID POSITIVITY AND YOUR STUPID..." He was running out of words. "ENTIRE EXISTENCE. I DON'T WANT TO BE ANYTHING TO YOU, DAVID. NOT YOUR _BOYFRIEND_ , OR WHATEVER THE FUCK KIND OF PERVERTED THING YOU THINK HAPPENED. AND NOT EVEN JUST YOUR FRIEND EITHER. SO YOU CAN TAKE ALL YOUR BULLSHIT _PATIENCE_ AND _UNDERSTANDING_ AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR-" 

"MAX." David raised his voice to Max's level, cutting him off from finishing the thought. As _'patient and understanding'_ as Max seemed to think he was, he sure seemed to reach the end of his rope really easily where Max was involved. He couldn't help it, he was angry. Or really, he was hurt. But right now it felt better to be angry. "You DON'T mean that!"

"Yes I FUCKING do, you-"

"No. You don't. You're just lashing out, because... because.. _You're insecure_." Max's eyes widened, not expecting to hear David actually... _say_ that. He knew it was true, but calling it out like that felt rude, which was rare coming from him. Worry of what he said crossed over David's expression, but he pressed forward. He needed to get his point across.

"And you're scared of being judged, and having one of the only people you actually _do_ care about deciding they don't want to be around you anymore. So you push them away, because if _you're_ the one who judges and leaves, then technically, you weren't the one who was abandoned. Is that about right, Max?" Max's jaw had dropped. Completely stunned into silence, there was nothing he could say. So David continued, now with a softer voice. "But I'm... not going to abandon you, Max. No matter how hard you try to push me away, I am always going to push back, twice as hard to be there for you." 

"But, why?" Max found his voice, incredulous and quiet.

"Because I care about you." David said plainly.

"But," Max could feel himself getting angry again. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes as he raised his voice once more. " _Why_? Why do you give a shit? You're not my _dad_. Hell, not that-that would be any reason to care, _apparently_. And I've been nothing but an asshole to you since I got here. So what the fuck _drives_ you? My own parents don't want me, so why would you?" He cried freely now, he couldn't help it. And he couldn't bare to look David in the eye with that kicked puppy dog look he was giving him right now. It was _so_ pathetic. It made _him_ feel so _pathetic_. 

"Oh, Max..." David started. He felt wounded, not so much by Max's words than by the expression of such pure pain on his face. It hurt to see him like this. It _physically_ hurt. His gut wrenched and a weird, dull pain that seemed to stem from his heart pounded all the way out to his fingertips. "You still don't _get it_ , do you? What drives me is... _love_." Was that too much to say? He didn't know. He didn't want to freak Max out with that word. He knew Max's feelings for him were complicated at best, and fairly negative at worst. He knew he was risking the possibility of Max doubling down, digging his heels in and pushing him away once and for all. But honestly, David wasn't sure how long it had been since anyone had ever expressed that sentiment to Max. Definitely not since he'd been at camp and he doubted if it really ever happened at home either. It was worth it, he decided. Max was loved. And he deserved to have at least one person in his life who cared enough to let him know. "And no. I'm not your dad. Because _I'll_ always be here for you when you need me. You can talk to me about anything, and I'll never judge you; I'll never abandon you. I will always be your friend. And I want you to know something very important, Max. And you better remember this, because I'll only say it once." His voice changed suddenly, lower and more matter-of-fact than before. He leaned down closer to Max, and held out a hand to his chin to drive his point home and make sure he was listening. "I-" He interrupted himself, not really thinking, but just going with what felt right. He leaned in and pressed his lips gently against Max's cheek. He lingered there for a beat and a half, before pulling away. " _Get it now?_ " He asked in an impish tone. To be honest, he didn't get it himself. But he felt like it was the only thing that would put them back on an equal playing field, and help make Max stop feeling weird about things.

Max regarded him with eyes that were as wide as they could be. He could not believe what had just happened. In his dizziest daydreams, he couldn't have imagined things playing out like this. He didn't know how he felt. In fact, it was all just too much, and he realized he felt.. nothing. Not now, anyway. His prior upset and the shock of David's kiss had left him feeling too drained process anything else. He did feel one thing though, and that was a sense of calm, and a feeling that things were going to be okay; maybe even _good_ , at least with David.

"I.... yeah. I.. guess I do. I think. Maybe. Thanks... David."

"Of course, Max." David answered warmly. A half-lidded smile crossed his face as he regarded Max with all the pride and adoration he could. It... _irritated_ Max, which was a familiar sensation that he was grateful to feel amidst all this numbness and confusion. He frowned and narrowed his brow, pulling his arms across his chest and looking defiantly away.

"Ugh okay, don't make it weird again, pervert." With that, he stood up from the log, and dismissed David with a wave of his hand. "I'm going back to bed. So don't bother me anymore, okay?"

David smiled all the wider, so unspeakably happy to see that everything had worked out for the better. "Okay, Max. Sleep well." 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like slow burn because that's where we are apparently. Kindle the flame with kudos and especially comments to make things burn faster, though(:


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